How to Make Pineapple-Infused Vodka

Materials

The equipment you need to make pineapple-infused vodka is nothing exotic, expensive, or hard to find. You might even have everything already. You will need:

large glass jar (The kind with a spigot at the bottom is helpful but not a must.)

large funnel

large piece of cheesecloth

large glass or ceramic bowl

Ingredients

1.75-litre bottle of vodka, (we prefer Tito's Handmade)

1 large pineapple, cut into large chunks

Instructions

Line the inside walls of a large, empty glass dispenser jar with large pineapple chunks. Stack them in a brick pattern or any other pattern you like. Truthfully, you could just dump the pineapple into the glass jar in a heap or in any fashion at all, but when the fruit is stacked in a nice pattern it makes an attractive addition to your bar or kitchen counter. Also, if the vodka is able to circulate around all sides of the pineapple, it helps the vodka become flavored more thoroughly and quickly.

Pour the entire bottle of vodka into the dispenser jar. Make sure all pineapple chunks are entirely submerged. Cover the jar tightly. Set aside the empty vodka bottle for later. You can use it to hold your finished product.

Place the jar on your counter top, in your bar, or in the pantry. We usually place ours up on the very top self of our pantry to keep any neighbor kids from deciding they need to pour themselves a big glass of "fruit juice." There is no need to refrigerate it because the alcohol in the vodka will preserve the pineapple, keeping it from spoiling or getting moldy.

Allow it to sit for two weeks. If you like, taste the vodka periodically. You may be pleased with the taste before the full two weeks have passed. We have used some of ours for cocktails as soon as in nine days.

After the two weeks (or however long you let it marinate) have passed, place a funnel in the opening of the original vodka bottle, then place a piece of cheesecloth into the funnel. Use the dispenser to pour as much of the vodka as possible through the cheesecloth and into bottle. If you wet the cheesecloth with a little vodka, the weight will help the cheesecloth stay down in the funnel better, which will prevent both a mess and wasted vodka.

After you've drained all the vodka you can through the spigot, you may find that you have some left in the bottom of the jar. To get this out, we have found that it is easiest to pour the remaining contents of the jar into a bowl, and pour what's in the bowl into the bottle.

When all you have left in the bowl is vodka-soaked pineapple chunks, place the pineapple pieces on the cheesecloth, wrap them up tightly in it, and squeeze any remaining liquid into the now-empty bowl.

The vodka that you squeeze from the pineapple will have a much stronger pineapple flavor than the rest. To make the flavor of the entire batch homogenous, pour the vodka from the bottle into the bowl and mix well.

The last thing to do is to pour your alcohol back into the original bottle or any other bottle of your choosing. It makes great gifts, especially if you have some pretty, smaller bottles you can divide it into.

Store in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.

Step-By-Step Photo Instructions

Step 1: Line the sides of a large glass jar with pineapple chunks.

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Step 2: Pour in the entire bottle of vodka.

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Steps 3 and 4: Cover the jar, stow it away in a safe place, and allow the vodka to steep about 10 days to two weeks.

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Step 5: Place a funnel in the original vodka bottle.

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Also in step 5: Place a cheesecloth in the funnel.

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Also in step 5: Pour the vodka through the cheesecloth into the funnel.

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Step 6: Pour pineapple chunks and remaining vodka into a bowl.

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Step 6: Pour the vodka from the bowl into the bottle.

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Step 7: Wrap the pineapple chunks in the cheesecloth and squeeze out any remaining juice and vodka.

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Step 8: Pour the vodka from the bottle into the bowl to mix flavors evenly.

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Step 9: Return vodka to the bottle.

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Additional Help

Tips for Success and FAQ

Here are some tips that I think should help you make this recipe a smashing success and some questions that get asked a lot. Please feel free to ask questions below or to add your tips to the conversation.

Tips

Don't Use the Pineapple Core: This one speaks for itself. Don't use the core of the pineapple. It does something funky to the flavor.

Mix-and-Match Flavors: While I used plain vodka, you can also use flavored vodka for a two-flavored vodka. For instance, you might use clementine vodka and infuse it with pineapple for a clementine-pineapple vodka!

Vodka Quality Matters: Tito's is a good compromise. It's not terribly expensive, and it's good quality. Using a cheaper vodka, such as Svedka, is likely to negatively impact the taste of your final result. People have commented saying that Smirnoff "comes along beautifully."

What Should I Do With the Pineapple Pieces?

Toss 'Em in a Blender and Make Alcoholic Ice Cubes: When you put water ice cubes into your drink, the ice eventually melts and dilutes your drink. You can combat this by pureeing your leftover alcohol-soaked pineapple bits with a bit of water (enough so that the puree is pourable) and freeze the result! Your ice cubes will then be made of more pineapple and alcohol, enriching the flavor of your drink as it melts rather than diluting it.

Serve Them as Tasty Bites: Think of them as the equivalent of alcohol-soaked gummy bears. If your vodka happens to "finish" on the night that you're having a party, you can set the pineapple bits out as an added treat.

Use Them as Garnish: Waste not, want not. The leftover bits look beautiful (and taste delicious) when used to garnish those sweet cocktails you'll be making.

How can I get my pineapple to stop floating?

Use Canning Lids: One commenter had an issue with their pineapple trying to float away. They decided to use some canning lids to keep the rogue fruit from floating away.

Cocktail Recipes

These Drinks Can Be Dangerously Delicious!

Drinks made with pineapple vodka are fruity, fun, and fashionable. This sweet yellow fruit gives drinks that tropical taste that whisks you back to your favorite vacation spot, while the vodka packs plenty of punch. These drinks can be deceptively delicious because you can't really taste the alcohol, so take care when enjoying this liquor. Remember that many of these cocktails, for example the basic pineapple martini, are close to being straight vodka. Hand your car keys to the hostess, pace yourself, keep careful count of how many drinks you've had, and never, ever drink and drive.

Pineapple Vodka Cocktails, Martinis, and Shots

There are plenty of lip-smacking cocktails you can make with your pineapple-infused vodka. I've used "PIV" as shorthand for "pineapple-infused vodka." And feel free to adjust the proportions if you'd like things a little sweeter, a little less boozy, etc.

The Easiest of All: Drink It Straight

You'll need:

Ice cubes

PIV

Maraschino cherries (optional)

Pineapple (optional)

Prep:

Simply plop a few ice cubes in a highball glass, pour some vodka over the ice, and enjoy.

Garnish with a pineapple chunk and a maraschino cherry speared onto a cocktail pick, if desired.

Pineapple Martini

You'll need:

Ice

Shaker

PIV

Prep:

Place some ice and pineapple vodka in your cocktail shaker, shake well, and strain into a martini glass.

Why We Make Our Own Pineapple-Infused Vodka

Making your own pineapple-infused vodka is easy and rewarding if you are a lover of cocktails. I'm not suggesting that anyone actually make vodka. I guess you could, but I don't know how—and I believe it is illegal in most states. However, what I do know how to do is turn a bottle of plain old vodka into yummy pineapple-infused vodka.

My husband and I, along with another couple, have long-standing tradition of splurging on a trip to Del Frisco's once a year for steaks and drinks. We usually order a great red wine with dinner, but before dinner, at the bar, we enjoy experimenting with the fun cocktails the bartender whips up for us. During our last Del Frisco's excursion, the bartender made us some fabulous pineapple-flavored drinks that we loved. We just had to get the recipe. My husband got to chatting with the bartender, and he explained that the drinks were simply pineapple-infused vodka shaken with ice and served martini-style. He showed us his huge jar of pineapple that was sitting in vodka, steeping, as the sweet, tropical flavor of the pineapple became infused in the vodka.

Infusing vodka with fresh pineapple flavor is definitely not a quick process. It requires several steps, plus allowing the vodka to sit for about two weeks, but the process is actually a fun little project and the results are delicious. Bring a bottle to the next party you attend, and you'll make all kinds of friends right away. It's a real icebreaker and conversation starter because everyone wants to taste it and learn how you made it.

Comments

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Author

SmartAndFun 6 months agofrom Texas

Sorry for the late reply; I hope your vodka turned out to be delicious! My next project is a jalapeno-lime tequila; test batches have been delicious! Watch for a new recipe article coming soon.

MJ 11 months ago

Hi S&F - I found that the pineapple wanted to float! Had to use some canning lids to keep the fruit below the level of the vodka. Am using Smirnoff btw, and it is coming along beautifully. Next weekend will be awesome cocktail time. Any other recipes from Pinners that don't involve raspberry?

Author

SmartAndFun 15 months agofrom Texas

Hi MishaQ, thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed the article. If you make his recipe, let me know how it turns out!

MishaQ 15 months ago

This cracked me up!

Author

SmartAndFun 19 months agofrom Texas

Sure, you can freeze it and it will last longer! Great idea!

Jelena 2 years agofrom Florida

I love pineapple so i can see myself making this drink. Good one.

peachy 2 years agofrom Home Sweet Home

wow that is a fruity vodka. Clever idea

Karen 2 years agofrom U.S.

I love this idea of making pineapple infused vodka! It sounds relatively simple, and it would make a good project. If I start now (or soon) I could have it ready before Thanksgiving, and bring it over as a treat for our hosts and the other guests :-)

PamPeery 2 years ago

I want to make this - the only thing is I want it to last longer than 2 weeks (I don't drink cocktails very often, but when I do I like good ones!). Can I freeze it? I ought to be able to, since vodka freezes well. It might be a little thicker than normal in the freezer, but that's ok, right?

Dmfreitag 3 years ago

Thanks for the advice. Definitely worth trying again.

Author

SmartAndFun 3 years agofrom Texas

Dmfreitag, I'm so sorry you didn't get good results! I'm thinking it must be that you used the core of the pineapple. I didn't specify not to use it -- my bad! I would try it again without using the core at all (discard it from the very beginning), and tasting the pineapple first to make sure it is sweet and juicy. We have always used Tito's vodka, but using orange-flavored (Svedka clementine) sounds like it would really be good with pineapple flavor added. If you make another batch, whether you use the clementine vodka or plain, let me know how you like it! Thanks for your feedback; I hope you are happier with your next batch!

Dmfreitag 3 years ago

After having this drink at del friscos I tried the recipe. It was AWFUL. Cut up pineapple with the core intact, added stoli vodka into a clean dry glass jar and waited 14 days. When I squeezed the pineapple into the mix is was worse?!?! Don't know what I did wrong. Was the pineapple not ripe enough? Should I have discarded the core? Someone mentioned svedka clementine vodka. I'd like to try again but could use some suggestions. Help me obi wan kanobi, you're my only hope!

Julie 3 years ago

The VIP at Del Frisco's is my favorite. They used Svedka clementine vodka. I'm going to try to make it, thanks.

Author

SmartAndFun 3 years agofrom Texas

Thanks torrilynn. It is yummy! The process is long, but it is a fun project, and everyone always seems impressed that we made it at home. Cheers!

Thanks Jmillis2006! We do love it here, and it is perfect for summer. If you make it, let me know how you like ti! Thanks for reading and commenting.

Jmillis2006 4 years agofrom North Carolina

This sounds great i am going to try this with summer parties coming up, this vodka sounds like it will be a delicious drink.

Author

SmartAndFun 4 years agofrom Texas

Thanks for the info. Interesting... I just might have to try it. Might be good in a Bloody Mary!

Judy Specht 4 years agofrom California

While not a vodka gal, it wasn't bad.

Author

SmartAndFun 4 years agofrom Texas

Have you tasted the bacon vodka? I'm so curious about how it tastes!

Judy Specht 4 years agofrom California

Apparently the bacon needs to be extra crispy.

Author

SmartAndFun 4 years agofrom Texas

Bacon! Now that's a new one with vodka! Well maybe it fits, since flavored vodka and bacon are both huge trends at the moment. I guess someone was bound to think of it eventually. Hopefully they are cooking the bacon first. LOL!

Judy Specht 4 years agofrom California

On national bacon day a friend had a birthday bacon extravaganza and made bacon vodka. ( sounds like he used your recipe) Someone gave him a bottle. The homemade bacon vodka tasted way better than the store bought bacon vodka.

Good instructions.

Author

SmartAndFun 4 years agofrom Texas

Thanks Kennbug, it is awesome! It is just sweet enough from the pineapple, but not too sweet and has no added sugar other than the pineapple. It tastes fresh and yummy! Thanks for the compliment and for commenting.

Casey Goodwin 4 years agofrom Escanaba Michigan

Looks awesome!

Author

SmartAndFun 4 years agofrom Texas

Yum! Great idea, Deb! I will definitely try that next time. Thanks for commenting and voting up. I appreciate it!

GoldenThreadPress 4 years ago

And, might I suggest that with the leftover pineapple, throw it and a little pineapple juice in a blender, place in ice cube trays (you can place a marchino cherry in for effect) or in a cake pan and put it in the freezer. Use the ice cubes as garnish or scrape the pineapple as a tasty granita. But before that--I'll go for one of your excellent drinks!--Voted Up!--Deb